Tomb Raider: Resurrection
by Selina 'The Cat' Kyle
Summary: After the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, Lara has given up the search for her mother. But when Amanda teams up with her and urges her on, she decides to resurrect her.Finally, Lara decides to kill Natla... Please read! Reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

**Lady Lara Croft**

Once again, I am on a turnstile. I run forward and a woman standing on the edge of the crevasse catches my eye. Something stirs inside me. A memory. I watch her blue, striped skirt fluttering in the breeze. Then, with a jolt I realize who the person is. "Mother?" I ask with my voice unsteady. The woman doesn t respond. "Mother, it s me, it s Lara!" I cry once again and take a few steps toward her.

My mother turns and looks at me. I gasp. She doesn t look like herself anymore. Her tattered clothes reveal her rotten, bony skin. Half of her face looks human, with warm brown eyes. She stumbles towards me, with her arms open. Her legs are rotten and bleeding.

My mother has turned into a thrall.

I gasp once again and remove my handgun from my holster. "No...No My mother is dead. My mother died a long time ago." I whisper to myself.

"You are not my mother" I say and with that, I shoot the woman several times. She stumbles back and falls down the crevasse Into the eitr Hot tears sting my eyes. I feel like I can rip open. I put my gun back into the holster and sprint towards the chasm. I crouch down and wipe a tear on my wetsuit. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my mother s body, lying limp in the eitr. And with that, I realize I have lost everything.  
My mother, my father and Alister.

Five sharp nails dig into my skin. I turn around and find myself staring at my doppelganger. She stares at me with no emotion. She grabs my arm and flings me towards a rock. I skid down and let a few tears of agony escape.

My legs fell like they are made of jelly; but even then, I stand up and pull Thor s hammer from my backpack. But the doppelganger is too quick for me. She grabs the hammer, flings it across the room, punches me in the shin and runs away towards a rock. I gasp and look up. She is lifting the rock. I feel blood tricking down the back of my head. I feel angry, sad, guilty and every bad emotion in the world.

Suddenly, a red light surrounds the rock. It is flung off, away from her reach. I catch the sight of shiny, dirty blond colored hair fluttering in the air.

Amanda is flying.

She flings herself off the turnstile and levitates the doppelganger and throws her into the eitr filled pool.

I run towards her, stopping only to grab Mjolnir. "Trust me, I wanted to let her finish you off" She says before I open my mouth. I try to argue, but before I say anything, an army of thralls comes marching down the corridor. "I ll hold them off, you go and stop Natla!" Amanda says and conjures up the strange entity, on which she has gained control.

"But- "I try to say.

"Go" She commands and breaks the skeletons of a few thralls.

"If you don t, the Midgard Serpent will tear the world apart! And only Thor s hammer can stop it!" She tells me and turns her attention towards the thralls.

I feel tears escaping my eyes. But I ignore them and run towards the corridor which leads to the room containing the Midgard Serpent. And I don t feel ready to face the metaphor.

I see Natla, flying high over the giant mechanical structure, which is held up by three buttresses and I know exactly what to do


	2. Chapter 2

**Jacqueline Natla **

The breeze rumples my hair. I feel my bat-like wings soaring into the space. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Lara. And I can also see the silvery, wispy tears escaping her eyes.

With a small giggle, I conjure up enough magic to build another bridge out of the rocks. Even though Lara is my rival, I do feel a little bad for her. But I shake the feeling off and turn my attention towards the creator of the Seventh Age. I can see Lara, who is running towards the wall which supports one of the connectors. She jumps and grabs a ledge. She jumps off and holds another one and reaches the top. She pulls out Mjonir and bangs it on my bridge ejector. One of the bridges breaks into five rocks and the rocks start to float.

I free myself from the metaphor and fly towards the human. I catch the sight of her fiery brown eyes which are filled with the hatred; and for a moment, I feel scared. But I am a demigod. And I shouldn t be scared of one little fragile human.

I summon a fire ball and blast it towards Lara. As usual, she dodges it and jumps into one of the rocks. I feel pure fury swelling in my nerves. Okh Eshivar! I cry and beckon five thralls from the eitr. Kill her! I cry and fly towards Lara. The thralls try to beat her, but they are no match for Lara's Mjolnir. She reaches another connector and flings herself down to the wall. I turn my attention to Jormungandr.

I reach the top and invoke the spirits of wraith. "Ragnarok! The Seventh Age is upon us!" I chant. With a jolt, I realize that another connector is broken. I let out a yell and fly towards Lara. I shoot a ray of fire arrow towards her. But she dodges and breaks the last connector. I fly towards the mechanism of the Midgard serpent which is about to break. With my power, I hold the mechanism.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Amanda Evert and Lara united. Lara throws something in my direction and I realize it is Thor s Hammer. Mjolnir hits me and I fall into the Eitr.


	3. Chapter 3

** Amanda Evert**

I look at the falling Natla. "Hmm... About time, Thor had to die after killing the Serpent" I say impatiently.

I see Lara glimpsing at the blocked corridor that leads back to the exit. "We re stuck!" I tell her.

"Not if you clear the corridor and get us out of here!" She cries.

I try to give power to my wraith stone, but no avail. "Out of juice" I say

"Just like Bolivia" I tell her.

Lara doesn t reply.

"The good news is, we saved the world The bad news is We re gonna die here... Just like your mother" I say frostily.

Lara s hands ball into fists and she raises her right hand to hit me, but drops it mid-air.

"Wait" She spots a dais behind us. Excalibur is lying nearby.

"Hmm" She mutters and grabs a rock and fits it into a pillar. I raise one eyebrow in confusion.

"Come on, pick up the sword" She beckons me. I pick it up and throw a sideways glance at her. "Please Amanda" Lara pleads. I put it into the ornate dais and click it open, and then I pull it into place.

A large looking glass rises above the dais. And I feel myself being pulled away.

The next thing I know, I am lying on the floor beside Lara, in a temple In Nepal Lara gets up and picks up Excalibur, which is lying next to her. I nod my head.

"So what? You think we're even now?" I ask her derisively.

Lara grunts "Would killing me make us even?" and turns towards the dais.

A small, withered paper is lying on the floor beside it. It is a scribbled drawing of three yeti-like creatures on snow. I realize it was drawn by Lara.

She picks it up and turns towards the dais. A silvery tear falls down her cheek. I ve never seen Lara cry before. "Goodbye, mother" She says and turns halfway. "Rest in peace"

I sigh and head for the door. I can t believe that Lara has given up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Zip**

I drain the tea that is handed to me by Winston."Damn it! Where is this girl?" I ask myself.

The new, renovated Croft Manor doesn t feel like home. Not with Alister buried away in the crypt.

The buzzer rings. I figure it is Lara and go down to check on her.

Winston opens the door to reveal a wet, disheveled and weak looking Lara. I grasp her shoulders. She begins to moan. I swear loudly.

I've never seen Lara cry before.

Lara looks at me once again. She straightens herself and steps over the threshold. "I"ll have tea in my room, with cookies." Lara says and starts walking towards her room.

"Wait!" I cry and turn.

"What, Zip?" Lara asks as she turns towards me. A few tears escape her eyes.

"Where is Mjolnir? Where is Lady Croft?" I ask, despite the fact that Lara is lamenting.

"I sacrificed it to kill Natla! And my mother is dead! I killed her too! I was too late!" She cries again. She pulls out Thor's gauntlets and his belt and throws them onto the floor. Then she turns and heads to her room.

I pick them up and put them away safely in the new tech room. Then I look at the portrait of Lara s parents. Sighing, I sink into one of the chairs and try to sleep.

The next morning, I rush into the dining room to check on Lara. "Where is she?" I ask Winston, who is preparing cereal in the kitchen.

"She wants breakfast in bed" He states and goes back to cooking.

"I'm going to her room" I say and head upstairs.

"Lara, open the door. Open the damn door, Lara!" I knock on her door.

Lara opens the door. She is still in her night dress, her eyes red and swollen.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"Nothing, Zip. I want some alone time" Lara mumbles.

Once again the buzzer rings. I head back to the door without saying anything to Lara.

Amanda Evert is standing on the doorstep. "Should you be here?" I ask, skeptically.

"Is Lara there?" Amanda asks. Her voice is tranquil, quiet.

She touches the stone on her neck choker. I smirk and let her inside.

Then I shout loudly "Lara, Amanda's here"

Lara descends the staircase quietly and looks across to Amanda. Then, with a surprisingly loud voice, she says "Why the heck are you here?"

" It's just that... I have never seen you give up, Lara" Amanda starts. "

I will help you We ll bring her back I promise. Trust in me, Lara; Just this once. Please Together, we ll find Mjolnir and then, we ll bring Lady Croft back... Okay I promise. This time I am with you Not against you" Amanda continues


	5. Chapter 5

**Lady Lara Croft**

I look at Amanda. Her smile is genuine. I let the tears escape. Zip hugs me. Winston announces that lunch is served and we go to the dining room.

I barely touch the chicken salad sandwiches. Only Zip seems to have an appetite.

"Do you realize that we need to get going.. Tomorrow?" Amanda asks, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth.

"Yes" I say.

"Lara... Someone wants to meet you tonight" Amanda says.

"Who?"

" It s a bit of a shock, really... But" Amanda hesitates

"Amanda, Who is it?" I ask contemptuously.  
"Calm down, Lara...It s your doppelganger" Amanda says quickly.  
"Wha-?" I try to say.  
"Yeah... She wants to help you"

"Why?"

"You freed her from Natla" Amanda states quietly.

"Hmph" I say tersely.

I head straight to my room after lunch. I take a quick shower, and wait for the night. Then I head to the Croft Manor Crypt. I go near father s coffin.  
"I will make your dream come true... Father" I say. I let the tears in my eyes fall.

"Tell me some place where I can vomit" A strong, calm voice states from behind.  
My hands reach for my gun holsters as I turn. But no gun holsters...

My face stares at me. It s like looking into a mirror.

The fiery eyes of my doppelganger bore into mine. "Hello, I thought you died yesterday" I say quietly.

"Hello, Lara. You thought wrong" She nods.

"Why are you here?"

" I want to help you To find your mother"

"Why?"

"I owe you" She says quietly.

"Fine, let s go upstairs for tea" I state curtly and march off to the lounge.

I hear my doppelganger's footsteps thud on the stone floor as we head to the kitchen. Winston is setting up the table in the dining room. I pull out some cups and put boiling tea in it. I give one to my double.

"Thank you, but I don t eat or drink anything" She says, taking the cup in her hand.

"So are you going to tell what we re going to do tomorrow?" I ask her

"We re going to Avalon... Again... We re going to find Natla and take Thor's hammer back."

"But the place has probably flooded!" I argue.

"No... We ll get the hammer tomorrow... Make sure you get your gauntlets and belt" She assures me


	6. Chapter 6

**Lara's Shadow**

I stay in the Croft Manor Crypt all night after discussing the transport facilities with Amanda. But there are no complaints, since I owe Lara my life.

At dawn, I knock on Amanda's room.

Amanda shunts me out and dresses herself quickly. By the time we go downstairs, Lara is already there, her hands covered with Thor s gauntlets and wearing her new, sleeveless, white wetsuit. She has already put up her dual pistols in the gun holsters on her thighs. Ammunition rests on her utility belt, which is also covered with Thor's belt, Megingord.

She also has a small backpack and a tranquilizer gun and two sub-machine guns hanging from it.

She looks at me and Amanda and nods knowingly, her brown hair whipping around. Amanda flattens her yellow and grey wetsuit. Lara puts on a black leather jacket and we walk upstairs to the Croft Manor Heli-Pad.  
Zip is standing near the helicopter. Winston is glancing worriedly at Lara next to him. One unknown man is standing beside the helicopter. I suppose he is the pilot. Winston hands us a parachute backpack each and tells Lara to take care. I snort loudly when he wishes her luck.

We enter the helicopter and sit quietly. All of us are staring into different directions. The pilot flies the helicopter towards the Arctic Ocean.

"I hope Natla is alive." Lara mutters.

"Yes, she is" I grunt and turn to look at her.

Then I continue "She is a half thrall. But she is alive and her brain works all the same"

Amanda's hands ball into fists and she curses Natla.

"You know, I thought you were cunning. I thought you would discover what Natla was up to last time." I say and smirk.

Amanda says quietly "I thought so too... Lara When I worked with Natla, I discovered a few things"

Lara puts her hand to her lips. "What things?" She asks quietly, glancing down the window.

"Natla turned your mother into a thrall... She wanted Excalibur first But then you found it. She detested you for that. 6 months later, when I dug her out of the ruins, she was weak. All she wanted was to go to Avalon And she wanted to resurrect the Atlantean triumvirate even though she hated her brothers" Amanda says.

Lara looks at Amanda and tucks a strand of stray brunette hair behind her ear.

"Why did you want to go to Avalon in the first place, Amanda?" She asks and pulls her backpack off her shoulders. Then she digs through it. After a few seconds, she pulls out a piece of glass from her backpack.

Amanda gazes at it and answers quietly "Only one person can be the owner of Resurrection. I wanted to resurrect our friends I wanted to have someone in my life who cared for me. The Stone of Resurrection lies in Avalon... Or so I thought"

Lara turned to face me, her voice serious "Do you know where the stone lies?"

"No Natla mentioned it a few times but I do not know its location."

"It seems like we are here" Lara states after a few hours.

I look out of the window and stare at the huge blocks of white ice floating on the Arctic Sea. I look at Lara and nod. She studies the piece of glass in her hand. I realize that the co-ordinates written by Natla are on it.

Lara turns to the pilot "We are going to go, goodbye" She says. She slides the door of the helicopter open and swings her backpack on her forearms.

Without another thought, she jumps. I follow her, grinning. Amanda is right behind me, with her blonde hair flying high above her.

We land on the ice a few moments later, with our parachutes billowing in the wind. Lara pulls out her high-end cell phone from her belt pocket and checks our location. "We are at the right place" She says loudly and pulls out a remote-control exploding device from her backpack.

She sticks it to the ground. After a few back flips, she pulls the trigger and the ground explodes with a loud bang. Lara removes her jacket and we enter the icy water of the sea.


	7. Chapter 7

**Lady Lara Croft**

I put on my oxygen mask and dive in the water. The gates to Helheim are already opened. At least that problem is solved.

I think about the days when I thought my mother held court in this very place. The tears escape my eyes and mix with the water of the sea. The doppelganger grabs hold of Amanda and me and slashes through the water. The speed and the cold makes my eyes water and my nose grow red. Amanda has her mouth covered with the oxygen mask, but I can still see her mouth curved into an unpleasant sneer.

In a few minutes, we reach the gate to Avalon. The doppelganger quickly leads us out of the water and up the stairs. Amanda and I remove our masks and look at each other. It is dark inside the ruins. I produce a flare from my water proof backpack and light it. The whole corridor glows.

Amanda and the doppelganger look at me. We head down the corridor and into the opening to where the ritual was performed. I look at the pulsating blue eitr. I try not to shudder and throw the flare into it. I jump from the ledge to a long pole. From that pole, I climb another ledge. I shoot my grapple gun at a keyhole and swing myself towards a platform. With a snap, I land on the platform. Amanda reaches it just after me. The doppelganger is already there. We look at the blocked corridor ahead of us. Amanda closes her eyes and focuses on the wraith stone in her hand. She generates pure glowing red energy and sends it into the corridor. The rocks break and the corridor clears.

I pull out my handguns from the holsters and aim them ahead. We walk cautiously into the corridor.

After a few turns, we reach the turnstile where my mother had been standing. The doppelganger turns left and looks up at a ledge. I put my guns into my pocket.

First stop, The Midgard Serpent.

Amanda and I lead the way to the room where the metaphor was built. The eitr has risen a few feet and the structure of the serpent is broken. But I can see a glistening blue and grey artifact lying on a small, weathered platform.

I turn towards the doppelganger. It is the hammer She nods quietly. As if in agreement, the gauntlets and the belt start to glow a mystical blue color.

I nod back towards her."Amanda, drop me on the platform, please" I look at her. She focuses her energy and levitates me towards the rock. A prickly, electric energy pulls me towards the hammer. I feel myself being dragged. At last, I grab the Mjolnir. My eyes fill with tears. I turn towards Amanda and gesture to her to lift me up. She levitates me back to the scaffolding.

I stuff the hammer into my backpack. "Alright, lead the way to the Regeneration chamber" I tell the doppelganger.

She climbs onto a ledge and helps Amanda up. I follow. After climbing several ledges and reaching the top of the wall, we reach a small passage way. I pull out my hammer. It crackles with blue and white electricity. I hold it before us. I switch on my Personal Light Source on my left shoulder. We step cautiously into a huge room. A cracked device lies to the left of us.

The doppelganger runs towards it and pulls a limp body out. I hear Amanda gasp.

The body is of Jacqueline Natla!


	8. Chapter 8

**Jacqueline Natla**

I feel myself being dragged by someone out of the regeneration device. I realize it is my doppelganger. I cannot believe she is doing this. She is helping me.

I touch the half of my face which is rotten and bony.

"Well. Well. Well. Look who it is, Miss Jacqueline Natla, of Natla technologies" A voice says mockingly. I look up to see a blonde haired girl. It is my former captor, Amanda Evert.

" Yes and we are here to ask you for a... _Favor_" Another strong voice states.

I look at a beautiful girl with brunette hair, aiming a grey hammer at me. Lara Croft.

"I cannot die, you fool. I am a demigod!" I roar loudly.

"Correction. A demigod who is badly hurt and about to die" Amanda says and hits me right in the face.

"Shut up! What the hell do you want?" I ask, looking at Lara.

"I want to know how to bring my mother BACK!" Lara screams the last word.

Lara crackles her hammer with energy. She shoots a bolt at me. Her eyes are lined with pure loathing. I fall back on the ground. The doppelganger grabs the back of my neck and makes me look at Lara. "Your mother is DEAD, DAMN IT! Why don t you realize that? You stupid girl!" I cry.

Lara looks at me with disgust "Where is the Resurrection Stone?" She cries loudly.

"It is broken into pieces. One lies in Egypt, in the newly surfaced Pyramid of Mictlantecuhtli. One lies in Cambodia, in the Angkor Wat! Are you going to find all pieces? Well, are you? Tell me you little brat" I cry out loudly.

Lara half smiles at me. "Thank you. After I get all the pieces, I am going to kill you" She says with mock sincerity.

"And to ensure that you do not escape this place..." Amanda trails off.

She closes her eyes and focuses on her wraith stone. I feel a sharp tugging at my wings. With a tremendous amount of pain, my wings rip off from my body.

I shriek and curse and cry loudly. Blood pours down my back.

Lara slams her hammer on the ground. A thin, blue and white, sparkling line forms a circle around me. The circle glows and thin, translucent blue walls form a cage around me. I bash my hands on the walls of the circle. But they are solid and powerful and with that, I realize that my end is near


	9. Chapter 9

**Amanda Evert**

I enjoy the sound of Natla screaming in anguish. I laugh hysterically. I put a hand on the wall of the cage Lara has prepared. "I think you know how to bring people back from the dead. Since you are a demigod" I say

Lara looks briefly at Natla. Then she reaches for her handgun and shoots the cage. The bullet gets repelled and hits a wall.

"Very well, I want the coordinates to all the three places, Natla!" She says scathingly.

"I hope you enjoy disappointment" Natla says and smirks.

Lara bangs her hammer on the ground. A few tremors rock the ruins and Natla falls down in her cage. I manage to hold on to my balance.

"Well I don't" Lara thunders and shoots a bolt out of her hammer at Natla. Natla rocks back and forth and slides down on the ground. Without another word, she scribbles with her fingers on a weathered rock and shows the rock to Lara. She pulls out her camcorder and captures a few close-up shots of the rock.

"I think we will see each other again" The doppelganger nods to Natla and leads the way out of the chamber. We head back out of the ruins.

Since Natla's downfall, there aren't any thralls present in the eitr. We back out carefully and swim to the surface of the sea. We climb out into the freezing winds and Lara grabs her jacket.

I rub my arms in an attempt to make them warm. "Well, that was something" I say to Lara. She looks at me and wipes her forehead on the back of her hand.

"Yes it was, Amanda." Now we need to go to Egypt She states, looking at her waterproof watch. "Now?" I ask, bewildered.

"When do you plan to go"? Lara asks, not looking at me.

"Fine, but the question is, how?" I say.

"I will tell Winston to send a helicopter right away. I hope you know how to climb ladders" Lara says with a trace of anger in her eyes. I remember the day when my ship buckled in the Mediterranean Sea. The doppelganger stares stupidly at Lara. Lara pulls out her phone and texts someone, probably Winston or Zip.

"Well. I have told Winston and I have also told Zip to figure out where these co-ordinates are positioned" She says and pulls out a glass bottle. I take in that it is brandy. She takes a deep sip and hands the bottle to me. I put the bottle to my lips and take a sip. Heat floods my brain and body. Just then a helicopter flies above us. Lara grabs a green flare from her pocket and lights it. She holds it above her head.

The helicopter lands near us and we scramble into the cabin. The pilot gives us a smile. It is the same person that was flying the helicopter in the morning. Thank you for being here Lara says. She grabs a small bag lying on a seat and pulls out sealed bowls of beans, fruit and cheese. She hands me one and without a word, we both dig in. The doppelganger starts staring out of the window...

I wake up from a restful sleep. Lara is still sleeping, her head lolling to one side. The doppelganger is looking out the window. I look out too and I notice that it is dark. We are flying over Egypt


	10. Chapter 10

**Lady Lara Croft**

I wake up form a sound sleep. Amanda is goggling at the view beneath us. I smile and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I pull out a lip balm from my safety kit and coat my lips with it.

"You are applying a lip balm?" Amanda asks with her eyes wide. The doppelganger looks at me.

"Every lady has to be a little ladylike." I reply. After pulling the curtain separating the cockpit from the seats, I change from my wetsuit into my camouflage beige sleeveless, midriff top, a pair of brown shorts and knee high combat boots. Amanda changes into her trademark grey midriff top and black pants. I grab my backpack and lay it on my forearm. I pull on my parachute backpack and gesture them to do the same. After the three of us are ready, we slide open the door and I jump off.

At first, I go very speedily, but finally I open my parachute and I land on the sand covered ground, not far from the pyramid of Mictlantecuhtli. We walk towards it slowly. Amanda has a bottle of water in her backpack. I feel thirsty, but I try to ignore the burning in my throat. We reach the huge pyramid. The entrance is an archway, cut out from the blocks of sand. I pull out a blue glow stick from my backpack and hold it near the archway. Hieroglyphics are scrawled across it. I crane my neck to read them.

_"Enter only if you must. Only with the people you trust. Because if they betray. You are the one who will pay. Mictlantecuhtli, the God of Death, lies in this ancient tomb. If you are ready to face your fate, go ahead. A section of a Sacred Stone, far away from its home. You will find the piece near a beast, in a place where it has grown. Behold. The piece of the Rexorveil lies within."_ I read aloud.

Amanda snorts from behind. "What?" I ask sharply.

"What the heck is Rexorveil?" Amanda asks, with her hands on her hips.

"I think it means the stone of Resurrection" The doppelganger states quietly.

"Okay. What are we waiting for? Let s go in" I say and turn on my Personal Light Source.

We step quietly down a steaming and stinking sand capped corridor. Turn left. Turn right.  
We end up on a scaffolding overlooking a huge sea of gold dust. There is a ledge at the far end on the opposite wall. I crane my neck and see a small gold ring on the ceiling. I snap my grapple gun and put it into belt. Amanda looks at me with confused eyes.

"We are going to go there and from there, we are going to jump onto the platform opposite it." I try to explain by pointing our route out.

"We don t have grapple guns" Amanda says flatly.

"Hold my hand then" I say. Amanda grabs my hand. The doppelganger looks at me and says "I will jump there. After you reach the ledge."

I nod in return. I jump and swing my way towards the ledge with great difficulty. I snap the grapple chord just in time and we both hold on to the ridge. A small crack echoes through the hall and the ledge starts crumbling into bits. My gloved hands are sweaty.

"Lara!" Amanda cries. She glances at me with fear in her eyes. Thats when I realize that her hands a slipping. "Shit, hold on Amanda!" I cry.

Too late.

Amanda s hands slip and she falls into the golden dust. Fortunately, the dust keeps her safe from cracking her skull.

"Lara, this dust is getting sucked in!" Amanda cries from beneath. What? My doppelganger echoes from behind. I push my legs against the wall and jump opposite to it. Quickly, I grab the platform and jump onto the solid floor.

My doppelganger is already there. She is looking downward at Amanda. I look down too. Amanda is sinking into the golden dust. "Crap! What the hell do we do?" I ask my doppelganger. She looks at me incredulously and says "We need to jump too" .

"What? Are you crazy?" I ask skeptically.

"No, but that is the only way into the tomb" She says quietly. I nod and we both jump into the lake of gold. Immediately, we start sinking into the ground. After a few moments, we fall down on the next floor.

"Ouch!" Amanda echoes. Then she gasps. I turn to look at what she is staring. Two lion-size sphinxes are there, jumping towards us. I pull out my guns and shoot one of them. It falls to the ground. My doppelganger kicks it away. Meanwhile, the other one pounces towards me. I dodge it just in time and shoot it a couple of times. I put my handguns into the holsters and pull out my shotgun. Once again, I gun down the sphinx. It falls down. The doppelganger punches it hard and throws it away.

I sigh. "Bloody hell, Look at that" I say, staring at a passageway leading towards a golden chamber. Amanda sighs and leads the way.

We turn to find a huge, almost twenty feet high, pure gold, live Sphinx staring at us. It has a huge, blue gem in between its eyes. In the middle of its paws, is a large coffin. Above that a in a small holder, is the shining blue half of a triangle. I feel my heart thudding loudly. This is it. The first step to the Resurrection Stone. A huge roar echoes in the chamber. I turn to stare at the Sphinx.

"Shit! Lara, we first need to defeat this guard" Amanda says and we both jump out of the way. Its hand hits the ground where we were standing.

"Alright Lara, let s go!" The doppelganger says.

She jumps to the top of the paw and punches it, hard. We watch in silence as the hand turns into soft, brown sand.

"Amanda, lift me up" I order her, dodging the paw of the Sphinx.

"What?" Amanda asks, as she eludes the paw.

" Levitate me up!" I cry once again.

Amanda agrees, she charges her wraith stone and levitates me up. I feel myself flying.

"Alright, throw me towards the blue thing" I cry once again. Amanda pushes the force and I feel myself being hurled towards the Sphinxes forehead. I pull Mjolnir from my back just in time and hit it hard on the gemstone. The whole Sphinx collapses and turns into brown sand. The sand flows through my clothes and goes into my hair.

I gulp in a huge amount of air as the sand level goes up my nose. Hastily, I pull drag myself out of the sand pool and look about. Amanda is shaking out sand from her hair.

The doppelganger is staring at the Rexorveil with great amusement. I go towards the coffin and study the Hieroglyphics on it.

_" Here lies the God of Death, Mictlantecuhtli. And above this Coffin is a piece of the Rexorveil. Remove the stone and face prison or leave the stone and face triumph"_ I read it aloud.

"Okay, I do not want to face prison" Amanda says from behind. I look around and spot a small, open door leading to a stairway. I turn to my doppelganger.

"If this stone is removed, grates will block the door. I need you to hold the grates off until we are on the other side of the door. Will you be able to do that?" I ask her.

She looks at me and nods her head. She goes towards the door and stands in the doorway. I turn towards the stone and touch it. As I do so, it loses its glow.

I pull it quickly from the holder. "Run Amanda!" I cry. We both run towards the door, which my doppelganger is forcing open. We crouch out of the door and she lets go of the grates. I crumple down on the ground.

Amanda grabs her bottle and starts drinking huge gulps of water from it. I put my hand out. She gives the remaining water to me. It's not much, but it is enough to quench my thirst.

I look at the top of the stairway. There is an open door. With a humongous effort, I pull myself off the ground and start climbing the stairs. Amanda and the doppelganger follow reluctantly. We emerge out into the silvery moonlight and for the first time since the visit to Helheim, I feel like smiling. We are one step closer to my mother.

I flop down on the sandy ground and pull out my cell phone to trace the location of my pilot. He is flying over Egypt. I text him and tell him to get us out of this place. Then I light a flare and put it next to me on the ground. Amanda is fanning herself with her hand. I look at my watch.  
3:15 a.m.  
A few hours later, we are sitting in the helicopter and enjoying cool lemonade. "So are we going to Cambodia today?" The doppelganger asks.

"No way! I have earned some REST!" Amanda says loudly. A small laugh escapes my lips. I turn towards her. "Yes you have, Amanda" I tell her. I pull the Rexorveil out of my backpack. It glints beautifully in the moonlit night.  
Mother I say to myself as I stare out into the starry sky I'm going to bring you back


	11. Chapter 11

**Amanda Evert**

It is 10:50 in the morning and we arrive at Croft Manor.

I put strain on my already strained muscles and get out of the helicopter. Lara looks enthusiastic. I cannot help but smile.

Winston welcomes us. We sit in the lounge and Zip starts firing questions at Lara, to which she gives immediate answers.

" When do we go to Cambodia?" I ask Lara, nibbling at some type of meat dish that Winston has served. "Tomorrow, of course" Lara says, amused.

"Then I am going to rest for a while. Be sure you take the stone of Rexorveil tomorrow with us. And don t call me for dinner, I'm going to take a long bath and then sleep soundly." I say drily and walk upstairs.

I head straight to my room and then into my huge, canary yellow colored bathroom. I turn on the hot water tap and relax for a while. I pull out luxury, yellow colored towels and exotic shampoos from places as far as China and Australia. After adding a lavender flavored bubble bath to my water, I immerse in it and feel my strained muscles relaxing. After a long and cold shower, I dry my hair and sit myself on the bed. It appears that my bath took a bit too long. It is already dark. Winston has placed a tray of sushi, bean salad and my favorite garlic bread sandwich. There is a glass of red wine. I grab the food and begin to munch on, ignoring the sushi. After a quiet and quick dinner, I sit cross legged on the bed in my pajamas. I pull the wraith stone out of its clasp on my neck and place it before me.  
I take a deep breath and inhale slowly.

"Powers of the wraith; I command you; commence the healing of this entity" I recite slowly. The stone begins to glow a golden shade. I repeat once again "Commence the curative process"

Hot, red and orange wisps of light appear through my body and enter the stone. I breathe slowly.

At 8:15, after fully charging my wraith stone, I sink into the bedspread and clasp the stone to my neck choker. In another full minute, I am asleep. At dawn I wake up and take another, quicker bath. I wear a grey halter top and black camouflage pants. After getting my backpack, I go downstairs.

As usual, Lara is waiting for me with the doppelganger.


	12. Chapter 12

**Lady Lara Croft**

I watch Amanda dashing down the steps. I straighten my utility belt and pull Mjolnir out of my backpack. Amanda looks at me with bemused eyes. I chuckle softly and place the hammer back into my bag. We re going to the airport. I prefer a private jet to a helicopter I say. Amanda s face lightens up and she looks excited.

We head out of the house and get into a BMW convertible. The chauffeur drops us at the airport. I pull out my beige trench coat and slip into it. We walk to the airport and the driver leads us to the runway, where, Dmitri, the pilot is standing. He drives us off towards the jet in a black, classy Mercedes Benz. We climb the stairs and enter the jet. Amanda and I sit opposite each other, while the doppelganger takes the seat next to us.

I pull off my trench coat and stare out of the window. I try to remember how my mother used to look. 2 years earlier I had seen her through the looking glass in Bolivia. Why had Amanda interfered then? I try to ignore the question...

I wake up from a restful sleep and find Amanda tucking into an array of Mexican food. I glance at the table. A tray is piled with tortilla chips and barbeque sauces and other food, which I have never eaten.

Amanda looks at me and shrugs.

"We are here, Lara; in fact, we are flying over the temple... Why don't you look down?" Dmitri's voice escapes from the speakers. I grin and look down. "Hey, we re going to jump" I say and hand a parachute to Amanda. I fling myself off the open door and feel the breeze tickling my cheeks. After a few moments, I procure a safe landing. "I m SO in love" I say. Amanda looks at me as if I have gone crazy. We head towards the beautiful, ornate temple.

I smile lovingly at the entrance of the huge monument. It is 7:46 in the morning and there aren t any tourists there. "Now what do we do?" Amanda asks, turning to face me.

"We- We need to find a way to a tomb" I say knowingly. "What? This is a temple , Lara" Amanda says each word slowly, as if trying to make a child understand algebra.

I grin at her and step into the beautiful brown temple. "I'm pretty sure the next piece of Rexorveil is hidden in King Suryavarman's tomb" I say, pretty much to myself. We climb down a set of elaborately carved and ridiculously fragile stairs. I spot a wall with a little different carving on it. "Bloody hell" I whisper and saunter towards it.

The wall is unlike the others, with very little sculptures of Hindu Gods, but with letters etched between each carved stone flower. I translate the language aloud _"Beware who enter unaware, the danger that lies beyond is great."_ "Okay, stand back Lara, we don t need explosives" Amanda says warningly as I put my hand into my backpack.

She gives power to her spirit stone and thrashes her hands in front. Cracks echo into the wall and the wall crumbles away to give way to a deep and dark tunnel. "Good work, Amanda" The doppelganger smiles. I turn on my Personal Light Source and start walking down the tunnel. A huge roaring sound echoes and the light pouring from the entrance goes out. I gasp and turn. The entrance is sealed.

As usual.

Amanda gasps too and looks at me with terrified eyes. "Are you here?" I ask tentatively. Amanda looks at the entrance and lets out a huge scream. I glance at what she is staring.

The torso of the doppelganger lies there, separated from its legs.

Dead.

I gasp.

But then, we ve got to continue... "Thank you for all your help, we shall never forget you" I pronounce and grasp Amanda. "Let's go Amanda" I tell her and we start walking down the tunnel. After a very long and tiring walk, we end up in a small, elaborately carved, stone room. I smile despite my loss.

There is a huge casket in the center of the room and four stone monkeys are placed at the corners of the casket, as if guarding the thing in it. One by one, the monkeys spring to life. I pull out my Mjolnir and bang it on the ground. The two monkeys near me shatter into crumbles of stone. I swing the hammer at the other two and they too shatter to the floor. Gasping for breath, Amanda slides down on the ground.  
I walk up to the casket and push the stone lid. Inside is a red, gleaming stone. "Amanda, destroy a wall" I command. Amanda whips around and the stone wall to the west of us disintegrates. I pull the stone from the casket and we run out of the tomb, emerging into sunlight. Just as we reach outside, the tomb crumbles into a mass of boulders.


	13. Chapter 13

**Amanda Evert**

It is 6:40 in the evening. Lara and I are in her Private Jet. We are heading to Helheim. Lara continues to stare downward with a kind of hope in her eyes. We jump out of the plane at the exact same location where we jumped last time. There is already a hole in the ice. I pull out my oxygen mask and put it on my face. We jump into the freakishly icy water.

I do not know what to do, so I follow Lara, as she dives in and starts swimming towards rows of huge statues of Thor.

I follow her quietly, excitement tingling my ears.

We reach the gates to Helheim. The journey there takes a surprisingly long time than last time. The doppelganger used to swim a lot faster than us.

Her absence costs us more than just the long swim. We swim inside and finally get out of the water. I brush away my wet hair. Lara looks at me and says "We need to be quick. I hope Natla is still alive"

"Oh, it s going to take a lot more than ripping her wings off to kill her" I say earnestly. We start climbing up ledges and crossing pools of pulsating eitr. Finally we reach the Regeneration Chamber.


	14. Chapter 14

**Lady Lara Croft**

I look at the pitiful state of my nemesis, caged in my prison. Apparently, Thor's magic is far better than that of Natla. I smile to myself.

Natla gazes up at me "Oh, I suppose you have the Resurrection Stone" She says dramatically.

"Yes. Natla, your end is near. Tell me how to use it I say," my voice is flaring.

"Join the pieces correctly" Natla instructs. I put the pieces together neatly and look up at her. "Wait" She says, holding up her hand. "Now what?" I ask.

She reduces her voice to a whisper "When you get transported to the Plane of Knowing, ask your mother to come with you... That should do it... You ll get transported back... Ugh! I don't know why I am helping you!"

" Because you have no choice" Amanda replies scathingly.

I press onto the stone and shout "I want to bring my mother, Lady Amelia Croft back"

Suddenly, the stone glows bright gold. I feel a jerk around my waist and feel myself falling down. The stone ground has vanished and is replaced by a dark red one. It is covered with red stripes. I look up and see my mother, wearing a torn skirt and white shirt, pulling someone back. She cries out loud "No! Get back."

Oh no.

"Mother" I cry out. She turns to face me and whispers "Wh... Who are you?"

"It's me, it's Lara, your daughter" I say, my eyes filling up with tears. Mother's eyes widen. She clenches her fists and says "What about my daughter?"

" Take my hand. Please Just take my hand" I beg, my voice cracking.

My mother glances at me, she studies my eyes. "She meant no harm" She whispers.  
" I know...Please take my hand, I beg you" I say pleadingly.

Finally, after long, miserable seconds, my mother walks forward with her hand stretched out. She puts her hand into mine. Once again, the ground vanishes and is replaced by stones. I fall down just as mother asks "What is going on?"

Once I am on solid ground, I look up to see Amanda, grinning broadly and helping my mother up. I sigh and look towards her. She looks into my eyes. "Who are you?" She asks, her voice faltering.

" I am Lara Croft, the daughter of the Late Lord Richard Croft and Lady Amelia Croft" I say and smile. She nods. Then her eyes fill with tears. She pulls me into a hug.

Natla snorts behind me.

I turn, my eyes filled with triumph and hatred. I pull out my hammer from my backpack and Amanda whispers "End it Lara, kill her" I nod knowingly.

The hammer pulses with blue energy. "This is for the doppelganger, for my father, my mother and the numerous other lives that you have destroyed" I cry and bang the hammer on Natla.

A bloodcurdling scream echoes around the hall and Natla crumbles before my eyes.  
"Finally Its over Lets go Lara, I believe Winston and Zip want to meet Lady Croft" Amanda says and I smile to her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Lady Amelia Croft**

I cannot believe what just happened. It was as if I was suspended in limbo and suddenly my daughter had rescued me. I do not remember how I died But I do remember some girl saying to me that her mother was dead... That I was not her mother.

Lara and her blonde friend drag me up to the surface of the freezing water. We climb up the icy jagged pieces of rock. I can barely stay up. Lara is smiling all the time. I do not know why I believed this girl in the first place. Maybe because of the warmth of her eyes, or because of her beautiful smile, so like mine.

Lara taps her cell phone and mutters excitedly into the speaker. Soon enough, a helicopter lands in front of us. We climb in.

I rest my head on the seat and stare downward at the icy ground. The helicopter takes off.

I wake up from a sound sleep. I look around. I am still in the helicopter. The helicopter is landing. It is night. Lara and her friend are chatting animatedly. We get out.

I recognize the surroundings. An old but renovated, strangely modern Croft Manor comes into sight. "Lara, is your father home?" I ask her slowly. Lara looks at me with pity in her eyes. She shakes her head sadly. I get the meaning.

My husband has left me forever. It was that Natla woman that killed him. I remember her visiting me one day in the stone ruins. She told me that she herself had finished him. I let a small tear trickle down my cheek. Lara puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.

Then she rings the bell. Quite soon, a butler opens the door. I study his face. A few tears prick the back of my eyes. Winston's eyes fill with tears. He bows down and says "Welcome back, Lady Croft after 15 long years"

I smile "Thank you Winston" I say

Lara and the girl step over the threshold. I follow them. An African man hugs Lara and they chat happily. "Ma'am, would you like dinner in your room?" Winston asks.

"Of course... It is so good to be home...All thanks to you Lara, and your friend-"

"Amanda" The blonde girl introduces herself. "Of course, Amanda" I reply.

Lara hugs me once again. "You cannot believe how many times I have dreamt of this moment. Now it s here I can't believe it. For fifteen years, I've searched for you and now I found you" Lara eyes brim with tears.

"My brave daughter, I knew one day you would find me. Our bond was so strong, even a demigod couldn t keep us from each other" I say.

"Go on, you need rest" Lara says. "See you tomorrow" I say back and start climbing the steps.

'Good night, mother" Lara says and smiles. "And to you, honey" I say and follow Winston to my room.

_x_X_x_


End file.
